EU leaders defend LGBT rights amid concern over Hungary legislation

European Union leaders clashed with Hungary’s prime minister throughout a heated summit Thursday over new laws in his nation that can ban exhibiting content material about LGBT points to youngsters, a measure that has been broadly criticised throughout the area and has angered human rights teams.
A majority of the leaders insisted that discrimination should not be tolerated within the 27-nation bloc and advised Viktor Orban that the brand new Hungarian legislation goes towards the EU’s elementary values.
“Being homosexual is not a choice; being homophobic is,” Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo advised Orban in the course of the assembly, in accordance with a EU diplomat. The particular person spoke anonymously in accordance with common follow.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte launched a virulent tongue-lashing, suggesting that Orban activate the identical clause within the bloc’s treaty that Britain used to depart if he isn’t proud of the EU’s rules, one other diplomat stated.
Hungarian Justice minister Judit Varga stated on Twitter that Hungary has no intention of leaving the EU. “On the contrary, we want to save it from hypocrites,” she wrote.

Hosting the summit in Brussels, European Council president Charles Michel recalled that values resembling freedom, tolerance and human dignity are on the coronary heart of the EU, stated one other diplomat with direct information of the discussions.
He added that the dialogue was “an in-depth and at times even emotional debate”. The legislation was signed Wednesday by Hungarian president Janos Ader after Hungary’s parliament handed the invoice final week. It prohibits sharing content material on homosexuality or intercourse reassignment to individuals underneath 18 in class intercourse teaching programs, movies or commercials.
The authorities says it’s going to defend youngsters, however critics say it hyperlinks homosexuality with pedophilia. It will enter into pressure in 15 days.
Speaking upon arrival on the assembly in Brussels, Orban dominated out withdrawing the legislation, insisting it doesn’t goal homosexuals.
“It’s not about homosexuality, it’s about the kids and the parents,” Orban stated. “I am defending the rights of homosexual guys but this law is not about them.”
The problem has turned a harsh highlight on the EU’s incapacity to rein within the “illiberal democracies” amongst its ranks like Hungary and Poland, whose deeply conservative, nationalist and anti-migrant governments have flouted the bloc’s democratic requirements and values for years.
Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, who’s brazenly homosexual, stated the Hungarian legislation additional stigmatizes homosexuals and must be fought.
“The most difficult thing for me was to accept myself when I realized that I was in love with this person of my sex,” Bettel stated. “It was hard to say to my parents, hard to say to my family. We have a lot of young people who do suicide because they do not accept themselves, how they are.”
In coordinated messages on Twitter, a number of EU leaders wrote that “hate, intolerance and discrimination have no place in our Union. That’s why, today and every day, we stand for diversity and LGBTI equality so that our future generations can grow up in a Europe of equality and respect”.
Many connected a letter to their tweets addressed to European Council President Charles Michel, who hosted their summit, in addition to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who additionally took half within the assembly.
“Respect and tolerance are at the core of the European project. We are committed to carry on with this effort, making sure that future European generations grow up in an atmosphere of equality and respect,” stated the letter, signed by the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Spain, amongst others.
Hungary was not talked about by identify, however lots of the similar leaders signed a letter earlier this week backed by 17 international locations calling on von der Leyen’s fee, which watches over the respect of EU legal guidelines, to take the federal government in Budapest to the European Court of Justice over the invoice.
The fee has already taken step one in authorized motion. On Wednesday, Brussels despatched a letter to Hungary’s justice minister searching for “clarifications, explanation and information” about parts of the invoice.
It stated that some provisions seem to “directly violate the prohibition of discrimination based on sex and on sexual orientation”, and would put homosexuality, intercourse change and divergence from self-identity “on the same footing as pornography”.
Asked Thursday concerning the Hungarian invoice, Guterres stated “all forms of discrimination are totally unacceptable and obviously any form of discrimination in relation to LGBTQ+ people are totally unacceptable”.
Speaking after a gathering with Guterres, EU Parliament president David Sassoli stated a mechanism making payouts to Hungary from a Covid-19 restoration fund conditional to the respect of the rule of legislation must be activated.